Avatar: Lead By Vengeance Book 2: Fighting Back
by c0balt
Summary: Based four years after the end of Book 1, Isaac is now 21 years old, and the master of all four elements. Isaac is living a normal life in a small town, but when his past catches up with him, he returns to his old home, to clean up the mess he left behind
1. Chapter 1: Old Friends, Old Memories

**Chapter 1: Old Friends, Old Memories**

Four years had passed since Isaac left his home. So much had happened in such a short time. Isaac found himself an earthbending and airbending teacher off the list of people his father left him. He was now a trained Avatar. Master of all four elements.

He lived in a small town, far away from the city he called home. For the past 2 years, he had been living in a small apartment, paying rent and living expenses off small construction jobs, which he advertised in the local newspaper. He had a life here. The life he dreamed of. A normal life. It felt like so long since he had seen Asher and Kayla, and a day didn't go by that he didn't look at the picture of Kayla, stuck to his apartment wall.

It was a rainy Tuesday. Isaac had just come home from another day of work. The man who he did today's job for requested a brick retaining wall in his backyard. When the man left Isaac alone in the morning as he went to work, Isaac earthbent the bricks and mortar into position, and had what would usually be a 5 hour job, done in 5 minutes. He then went to his next job early. They requested he assemble the garden shed that they purchased, but didn't have time to set up themselves. Since his bending would have been useless here, Isaac did this manually, which took a lot of the day.

Dumping the pizza that he bought for dinner on the table, Isaac walked over to his phone, and checked for messages, some of which could have been potential work. He was right. The first message was from a college girl, who went to school nearby. She requested that a shelf be constructed on the wall. Isaac called her back, and organised to come the next day, then went to sleep.

Isaac awoke at 9am the next day. After having a shower, and gathering what he needed, he drove over to the college, and found the dorm room of the girl who called yesterday.

"I have classes now, so I am trusting you to install the shelf and go. If I find anything missing, I will call the cops. Got it?" said the girl with a stuck-up attitude.

"I know, I have heard this before, I won't take anything. I will install the shelf and go." Said Isaac.

The girl left and Isaac got started constructing the shelf. 20 minutes into the job, Isaac was nailing part of the shelf, but missed the nail, hitting his finger instead. Cursing at the sight of blood, Isaac looked around for a tissue to clean it up, seeing a box of tissues on the table next to one of the beds. He ran over and grabbed a tissue, wrapping it around his finger. That was when he saw something that shocked him. A photo of him and Kayla during one of their free periods at school. The day of the Burning Suns attack on the school. This was Kayla's dorm room. The stuck up girl he was installing the shelf for must have been her room-mate.

Isaac fixed his attention on the job at hand, setting up the bookshelf and then leaving. Not before he left a note on Kayla's desk. _"Firebug Isaac says hello"_.

Isaac left and went to the local pub for a drink.

"Ah Isaac, how was work?" said Ted the bartender. Ted was a short tubby man, with little hair left. When Isaac first arrived in town, Ted found him sleeping against one of the walls of the pub, and took him home. He let Isaac live with him in the spare bedroom for as long as he needed, and in return, Isaac helped out around the pub. When Isaac was old enough for a full time job, Ted lent him the money to rent his own apartment, and helped pay for Isaac's tools and ad in the newspaper. Isaac was extremely grateful for this, and paid him back in full. Ted would let Isaac have weekends off of work, and in those free days, Isaac tracked down people on his father's list that lived close by, and once he explained who he was, they were happy to teach him.

"Pretty interesting, I must say. Did a job for one of the snobbiest girls I have ever met" laughed Isaac.

After having a drink and a good old chat with Ted, Isaac went home, buying take-out on the way. As he walked in the door, the phone rang. He walked over and answered it.

"Isaac Smith Construction" he said

"Isaac Smith you sneaky bastard! You couldn't have picked a more obvious fake name." laughed a voice that remained familiar over the years.

"I'm sorry who is this?" Said Isaac

"Don't bull-crap me, is this where you have been hiding the past 4 years?" Said Kayla.

"Yes Kayla. I have been living here a while."

"Have you eaten dinner yet?" Asked Kayla.

"No why?"

"We are going out. You have a heck of a lot of explaining to do." She said, "Be here in 20 minutes."

"Do I have a choice?" laughed Isaac.

"No"

Suddenly the call ended. She must have hung up on him. Isaac grabbed his keys, wallet and a plastic bag to clean the rubbish out of his car. Half an hour later Kayla was in the passenger seat, giving him directions to her favourite restaurant.

"So what have you been doing out here all these years?" Asked Kayla as they ate dinner.

"I met the local bartender Ted. He let me live with him in return for helping out at the pub during the week. On the weekends, I tracked down people on the list my dad gave me, and learnt Earth and Airbending. Eventually Ted helped me afford my own place, and helped me get a job. Since then I have been doing small jobs for people, like that shelf in your dorm room." Laughed Isaac. He was glad to finally see Kayla again.

"How is Asher?" Isaac asked.

Kayla started to tear up, and Isaac believed the worst.

"You were the only one the Burning Suns feared, when you left, they committed crimes left, right and centre. After knowing what they had done to you, Asher signed up for the police force the moment he finished High School. Then a year ago, during a raid on a Burning Suns building, Asher was hit by lightning. The same sort of lightning your father used when we were kidnapped. He must have met a powerful firebender in there. The lightning didn't kill him, but it severed his spinal cord. He has lost all use of his legs. He says he is coping fine, but I honestly struggle to believe that." Wept Kayla.

Isaac was shocked. The point of him leaving was to protect Asher and Kayla. But in Asher's case it did the exact opposite.

"This is my fault" said Isaac, "I thought by leaving, the Burning Suns would focus their attention on finding me. I was wrong, and from what you have told me, it's made things worse" said Isaac.

"Don't say that. You wouldn't have been able to do much against them without earth or airbending, nor with you dead. You were better off here. Away from it all until you were strong enough to fight them."

Isaac stopped paying attention. He had already made up his mind. He was going home, to fight off the burning suns. To avenge Asher and his mother. To redeem himself. Kayla could tell what he was thinking by the look on his face.

"You're going back aren't you?" she asked.

"You know me well Kayla"

"Well not without me!" she said fiercely.

"But what about college?" he asked.

"I graduated months ago. I was just staying there because I was struggling to find a place to stay. That girl you saw in the room is one of the new students. So yeah I am coming with you." Kayla insisted.

"Fine, pack your things and sort out any loose ends. I will pick you up at 6am sharp the day after tomorrow."

Isaac looked at his watch, and realised it was 11pm. Looking around he saw that the restaurant was empty.

"Come on, I had better get you home." Said Isaac, leaving money for their dinner on the table.

Isaac parked his car in the college dorm car park.

"It was great seeing you again Isaac. I really missed having you around." Said Kayla. She then kissed him on the cheek and got out of the car. After making sure she was in the building safely, Isaac reversed his car out of the parking space and drove home.

The next day Isaac packed the essentials and drove to Ted's pub.

"Isaac, it's a little early to be drinking isn't it?" laughed Ted.

"No drinks for me Ted. I have some business to take care of back home. I leave tomorrow." He replied

"Good thing you didn't leave without saying goodbye eh? I would have hunted you down if you did!" laughed the bartender.

"I owe that much to you at least. Thanks for everything Ted" said Isaac, "I will be back as soon as I can".

Isaac's next stop was to the landlord who was renting him the apartment. He paid his last rent, and told him that he was moving out. The landlord was disappointed, as Isaac was his only tenant that handed the rent in on time every time.

Since all of Isaac's tasks didn't take as long as he expected, he visited Kayla and helped her pack. He had never known someone to have so much "essentials". After a long day, Isaac went home and went to sleep early. He had a big day ahead of him the next day.

The next day Isaac woke up at 5:30, and picked Kayla up. They hit the road then. Isaac knew that the time was right. He was ready to face the Burning Suns. He was ready to put them in their place. He was ready to fight.


	2. Chapter 2: The Element of Surprise

**Chapter 2: The Element of Surprise**

After a hard 15 hours of driving, Isaac saw on the horizon, the buildings of his old home. He wondered what had changed in the past 4 years. From what Kayla told him, Isaac knew that the Burning Suns had made it a much more dangerous place. The sun would go down, and normal people would go home, praying that they would make it through the next night.

Seeing a break in the fence on the side of the road, Isaac turned his car off the road, and onto the grass nearby. The sudden shaking of the car woke Kayla.

"Isaac, what's going on?" she asked, still groggy from the long sleep.

"It's 9pm at the moment, and if what you say is true, driving in would be a bad idea." Replied Isaac. Eventually he found a tree, planted on a spot with no grass surrounding it, and parked the car next to it.

"You may want to get out of the car" said Isaac. Kayla quickly scurried out of the car. They grabbed everything they needed and stood back. Isaac stomped on the ground, causing the earth beneath the car to drop down a few meters. He then pulled his right arm across his chest, pulling a layer of earth over the top. With the car hidden, Isaac turned to face the tyre tracks. Lifting both his palms, the loose dirt that showed the tyre tracks lifted into the air, before it was scattered. As long as there were no cameras on the road, nobody knew they were there.

"Where are we going?" asked Kayla.

"Do you remember before I left, I stopped coming to school?"

"Yeah"

"Well I found a waterbending teacher. He has been hiding from the Burning Suns for years, and he may be able to take us in for a little while." Explained Isaac.

Looking at the ground, Isaac closed his eyes, and then pushed his fists towards the ground in front of him. A small passage of earth was carved out into the ground in front of him. Beckoning Kayla to go in first, Isaac followed her into the passage, and then sealed entrance. Isaac walked ahead of Kayla, and then ignited a flame above his palm to light the way. After a few minutes of walking, Isaac heard running water. But from memory knew it was far from it. Eventually the tunnel opened up into the city sewers.

It took Isaac a while to find the hidden entrance to James' home. It had been so long since he visited the sewers that his memory had faded. Eventually though, they made it. Isaac waterbent the liquid away from the door, then froze it to hold it in place. He opened the door to the drainage chamber, then after firmly closing it once they were inside, melted the water.

Isaac opened the door into the main room. It hadn't changed much. Isaac could feel the presence of the water life every other time he had been around it. But something was off. The water was moving unnaturally. Raising his arms, Isaac lifted the pavement, and the earth that was under it around him, and heard ice shatter upon hitting it.

"You always said I was too cautious James. Who is the cautious one now?" yelled Isaac, lowering the earth barriers. Kayla was silent behind him, still unsure of what was going on.

"Isaac? I'm so sorry, I thought the Burning Suns had followed me again." Said James. He hadn't changed much. In fact, Isaac barely noticed a difference in his old teacher.

"Trust me, I know, you should see what we had to do to get here undetected." Said Isaac before he felt Kayla nudge him,"By the way, James this is Kayla, Kayla, this is James, my waterbending teacher."

"Speaking of waterbending, have you been practising?" Asked James. Isaac remained silent, only lifting his hand. 3 streams of water arose from the pot behind him. Suddenly they froze into icy spears, and before anyone could comprehend what was going on, they were through the head and torso of the training dummy.

"I will take that as a yes" laughed James.

"James, the reason I came to you first, was that we need a place to stay where we won't be found for a bit. We know that this place is hidden, and were wondering if we could stay here?" Asked Isaac.

"I wouldn't have it any other way. But I am warning you. It may be a little cramped." Said James.

Isaac looked around.

"How would you feel about some 'renovations'?" Asked Isaac, indicating the empty wall at the far end of the room.

"Would it be too much of a task?" asked James. He actually thought it was a great idea. He had found teaching Isaac to be so fulfilling, he was contemplating teaching an apprentice. The only thing that stopped him was the lack of room.

"No I would be done in about an hour. I could pretty much have an entire room made out of earth. The only thing I would need is a mattress for the room." Said Isaac.

"Leave that to me. I will leave in the morning, and get some mattresses."

"I will pay you back for them" said Isaac.

"Don't worry about it. I have other uses for the rooms when you two are done with them." Said James.

Isaac and Kayla slept on the floor that night. It was long after midnight by the time they got to sleep, but after a day of 15 hours driving, Isaac wasn't fussed. The next day, he woke up at about midday. James was nowhere to be found, and neither was Kayla. Isaac found a note on the floor next to him.

"_Isaac, went to the surface with James. Though it is safe during the day, for the time being, stay underground. Though you have been gone for a long time, the Burning Suns have spies everywhere, and all it takes is one slip-up for your identity here to be known. Love Kayla. P.S. There is some food for you on the table in the corner."_

Isaac walked over, and ate the breakfast Kayla left him, and then got started with the new rooms. First he cut out a doorway and from there the main room. Isaac admitted, though he enjoyed being a firebender, earthbending had so many more particle uses. Once he had carved out the actual room, he pulled a slab of earth out of the wall, big enough to be a single bed. Next he pulled a smaller block of earth out of the wall, and chiselled away parts of this to make a desk. Lastly was a chair, which he made in the same way as the desk. After an hour and a half of working, Isaac had finished the 2 identical rooms, when he received a text message from Kayla.

"_Got some supplies. The mattresses have been delivered to the warehouse with the lift leading to the sewers. We will be there in about 20 minutes. If you are done, could you please meet us at the warehouse to carry the mattresses? _"

Isaac had a look at his handiwork. When he was sure there was nothing left to do he replied;

"_Sure, will be there"_

Isaac awoke the next day at a more reasonable hour. He slept like a log on the home made bed. Kayla and James picked good mattresses. He got dressed, and headed to the surface, leaving Kayla a note to explain his absence.

After taking the lift up to the surface, Isaac spent the next hour walking, until he finally reached his destination. The headquarters of the police station. He walked over to the receptionist, and asked to speak to Sergeant Johnstone.

"If you are talking about Chief Inspector Johnstone, he is busy. I will pass on a message as soon as time allows it." said the receptionist.

"Tell him Isaac Reed wants to talk to him" said Isaac firmly, "I am pretty sure he will want to speak with me, and your job might be on the line if I leave here before that happens."

Tired of arguing with him, the receptionist picked up his phone.

"Hello, Chief Inspector? Sorry to bother you, but I have a young man here demanding to speak with you. He says his name is Isaac Reed." Said the receptionist. He hung up shortly after.

"The chief inspectors office is down the hall, 3rd door on your right." Said the receptionist.

Isaac walked in to Johnstone's office and to his surprise was greeted with a warm welcome. They began talking over what had happened over the past few years. Isaac found out that after Johnstone exposed Gibson as the traitor, his luck didn't seem to end. He was making progress with the Burning Suns case more than ever. This lead to a string of promotions.

"So why are you here? Are you going to help us finish off this pain in the neck?" asked Johnstone.

"Yes, but if you want my help, I need a copy of any information on the Burning Suns." Said Isaac.

After thinking long and hard Johnstone agreed.

"They may rule the city at the moment, but we have enough information on them to take them out of the picture for good, thanks to our informant on the inside. We just need the muscle to do it. That is where you come in." Said the sergeant.

"Good," said Isaac, "Because I am doing my first raid tomorrow night."


	3. Chapter 3: No Limits

**Chapter 3: No Limits**

Standing in the third floor window of the building across the street from one of the Burning Suns buildings, Isaac was surveying the area. So far he had counted 3 guards. 1 parked in a car, one standing by the door of the building and one disguised as a homeless man sitting against the wall of the alley nearby. He would have fooled Isaac, if Isaac didn't see him walk out of the building 4 hours earlier.

It was 2am. Most of the people in the building were probably asleep, with the exception of a few sentries. If Isaac could take the guards out silently, he could enter the building and apprehend most of the people inside before anyone realises what's going on. The police gave a headset to communicate with.

Finally seeing the right opportunity, when the guard in the car turned his gaze, Isaac earthbended the feet of the guard disguised as the homeless man into place so he couldn't move. Next were his hands, the then a helmet to keep him silent. Next was the man in the car. Using waterbending, Isaac pulled the water from the drink bottles he had in his bag. Disguised by shadows, the water levitated toward the car. When it reached the car, Isaac separated it into 3 separate streams, 1 for each door and one for the boot. He then froze the water, and in turn, locked the man in his car. There was only the man by the door left.

During his years away from home, he spent most of his free time practising bending. But there was one thing he practised in particular, and that practise was going to pay off. Isaac took a few steps back, then ran and jumped out the window. Then generating flames from his palms and feet, he propelled himself forward a few meters. Those few were enough. Isaac landed on the man near the door, and knocked him out with a fiery punch.

"Guards out the front have been taken care of. One earthbent to an alley wall, one locked in his car and the other unconscious by the door. Come get them, and continue silence. Over" Isaac whispered into the microphone attached to his earpiece.

Before the mission started, Isaac was given a floor plan of the building by Chief Inspector Johnstone. He memorized these plans, and modified his own plan accordingly. From memory, the ground floor was kitchens, second floor was crew accommodation, third floor was bathrooms and 4th floor was supplies. Isaac ran through the empty kitchens, and to the second floor. There a few of the men were still up, but most were sleeping. It was mostly a narrow hall, leading into one large room, filled with camp beds.

Now was phase 2 of Isaacs plan. Pretending to think the room was empty, Isaac ran through in plain sight.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing here?" Yelled one of the men. He threw a fireball at Isaac who quickly extinguished it with airbending. The rest of the men got up, wondering what was going on. Then they started chasing him. Before they made it out the door, Isaac ran and jumped out the window at the end of the hall, earthbending the bricks from the side of the building to make a platform to land on. The Burning Suns thugs didn't even think of the fact that Isaac may have jumped out the window, they thought he ran down the stairs. When Isaac was sure he heard the last of the footsteps, he raised the platform to the window and climbed through, the bricks plummeting to the ground when he released his control over them. Running down the stairs, Isaac caught up with the thugs in the kitchens. They had their backs turned and were discussing where he went.

"Oi. Looking for me dickheads?" Yelled Isaac. They turned around, to get a face full of air, which knocked them to their feet. Destroying the taps in the process, Isaac ripped the water from them with all the force he had, and froze one of the men against the wall. For the rest he created whips of fire, and fought them off. Isaac thought he had won the fight when he knocked down the last of the men, until he realised something. One of the men was missing. Then he heard a voice from behind him.

"Put your hands behind your back, or I will kill you here and now" said the man. Isaac could feel the heat of a flame behind him and was desperate for a way out of this situation. Until he realised what he was standing on. What the building stood on. A slab of concrete.

Faking surrender, Isaac put his hands behind his back, and then quickly raised his fingertips. A slab of concrete broke through the floor behind him, crushing the man between it and the roof.

"Thugs from 2nd floor are down. Come get them. I will search the rest of the building. There can't be too many more left. Over." Isaac said into his earpiece. As he walked up the stairs to the second floor, and smiled as he saw men in black SWAT uniforms with automatic weapons running from all ends of the street towards the building.

Isaac ran up the stairs to the third floor, and found a room that didn't appear on the floor plans that he was given. It must have been an old floor plan. Isaac looked through the keyhole, and saw 4 thugs, and one man sitting behind a computer at a desk. Looking around for any source of water, Isaac laughed as he found one. Levitating the water from the toilet, he separated it into separate droplets, and then froze them.

Knowing the exact location of the men, Isaac kicked in the door, and sent his ice bullets towards them. They were dead before they knew what was happening. Isaac walked over to the man cowering behind the computer, and froze some of the remaining toilet water around his wrists, making icy handcuffs.

"You must be pretty special to have an office like this." Said Isaac, "I bet the police will be pleased".

The SWAT men came in, and took the cowering man away. Johnstone was next to come up the stairs.

"Great work Isaac. A few more raids like this and the Burning Suns will be no more!" Said the Chief Inspector.

"Hopefully, then maybe I could live a normal life." Said Isaac. He didn't think about it at the time, but now that he had a second to think, it finally hit him, how he killed those men. The one he crushed between the concrete and the roof, the four guards. They were all gone. Though they were scum, they were people. Someone's son wasn't going to come home thanks to him. Someone's brother, someone's father. Isaac couldn't help but think;

"_I may be the Avatar, but how does that give me the right to take their lives away"_


	4. Chapter 4: The Shadow

**Chapter 4: The Shadow**

Isaac stood before the door in the rehabilitation centre. On the other wise was his childhood friend Asher. After seeing what the Burning Suns did to Isaac's life, Asher joined the police force out of vengeance to take them down. During a raid last year, he was attacked by lightning from a firebender, and was confined to a wheelchair. This was the first time Isaac had seen him in 4 years.

Isaac then knocked on the door, and heard a familiar voice tell him to come in. Isaac walked in, to see his friend sitting in a wheelchair.

"Isaac? Is that you?" asked Asher.

"Yes. Hello Asher." Replied Isaac.

"Wait, if you're back, then that means you mastered all the elements?" said Asher. Isaac nodded. "Then that means we actually stand a chance at taking out the Burning Suns!" said Asher excitedly. I would help, but I don't think I would be much use."

"I am so sorry for leaving. If I had have stayed, you might still be able to walk." Said Isaac.

"And you might be dead. If you stayed, it would be impossible for you to learn all the elements without the Burning Suns interfering" said Asher, "Anyway, changing the subject. What happened to you?" Isaac explained everything from Ted the bartender, to Kayla finding him.

"It sounds like a good life you had back there. Maybe once this is all over you can go back to that?" said Asher.

"I already have plans for when this is over." Laughed Isaac.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Geez I think you and Kayla have the world record for being 'just friends' the longest." Laughed Asher. Though he had lost his legs, Isaac could still see his friend from back when they were teenagers.

"So what happened to you?" asked Isaac.

"Well life went on. Eventually Kayla and I graduated. She went off to college interstate, and I joined the police force. Chief Inspector Johnstone managed to get a man in on the inside. We wouldn't hear from him for months, but when we did, he had a lot of information. We had enough info that we could take them out after about a year, assuming we had the muscle. Then I was assigned to the SWAT team for a raid. The Chief decided that our best bet at the time would be to cut the head off of the entire operation. Our man on the inside had given us the details of the headquarters where their leader spent most of his time. We assaulted the building, and managed to get to the office. That's when it went bad. Me and a group of 3 men went into the office. They took out the guards, but the leader's firebending was nothing we had ever seen before. He killed all of the men, and when I was fighting off one of the guards, he shocked me in the back. I survived it, but he got away. Not before I could put a bullet in his shoulder, but he still got away."

Isaac checked his watch, and realised what the time was. If he didn't leave then, it would be dark by the time he got to the sewers, and the streets were too dangerous to wander at night.

"I'm sorry but I have to go. I promise I will make them pay for what they did to you." Said Isaac.

"Don't get yourself killed doing it though." Said Asher.

Isaac left and walked home. Maybe Johnstone was right. Maybe instead of taking the whole of the Burning Suns on, the better option would be to cut off the head. The leader would have the best security, meaning the best firebenders that the Burning Suns had. Plus they would have details on the rest of the gang there. Without a leader the group wouldn't be able to function. They could easily be hunted down.

When Isaac got home, he told James about his plan.

"That sounds like a suicide mission!" said James.

"Trust me, it will work," said Isaac, "If I have the police backing me up I will pretty much have a small army on my side. And you forget, I am the Avatar. I am sure the previous Avatars faced bigger threats than this." Said Isaac.

James frowned. After a long silence he finally spoke.

"If you insist on going ahead with this mission, then there is something you need to know. Meet me at central park tomorrow night. I didn't want to have to teach you this. Most people who learn it end up going crazy with power. But this is something you need to know."

"What is?" Asked Isaac.

"Bloodbending"


	5. Chapter 5: The Forbidden Art

**Chapter 5: The Forbidden Art**

Isaac waited at central park until James came. That was when their training would begin. Finally James arrived, remaining silent.

"Just like old times eh?" laughed Isaac.

James remained emotionless. "Let us begin."

"Back when benders were common, a rare form of waterbending was outlawed. It was called bloodbending. The name itself is a lie, but it is deadly." Explained James, "The human body is almost 60% water. On the night of a full moon, skilled benders like us can bend it, and even stronger waterbenders can bend it whenever they want. This leads to the ability of controlling a person's body."

"Is that why we are in the park? All the animals to practise on?" asked Isaac.

"As much as I don't want to put them through this, yes. This is something you must learn, but I hope you will never have to use it. I want you to close your eyes, and try and feel the presence of water."

Isaac closed his eyes. He knew there was water nearby, as if he had a sixth sense. He could feel the earth beneath him and the air around him, but it took him a while to find the water. All the water he could feel was still. Until eventually he heard a faint heartbeat. With all the strength he had, he pulled the water from the tree. A bird roosting in a tree began to float towards him. It was struggling, and trying to fly away, as if held by an invisible hand. After seeing the pain the bird was in, Isaac released his control of the water.

"That is bloodbending." Said James, "Since you can only practise this once a month, I want you to practise until dawn. I hope you won't need to resort to this, but I would rather you use it and not be killed. That's why you must learn It." said James.

Isaac nodded his head in agreement, and James walked away. Isaac closed his eyes, and looked for a heartbeat. After a few minutes he found another. He could feel the water that made up the creature. Taking control of the water, Isaac levitated the creature slightly. As he did this, he felt its heart speed up, and the blood run faster through its veins. After holding it up for a few seconds, Isaac put it back on the ground and released control. Isaac looked over to where he bloodbent, and say a squirrel scurry away, running from the cruel hand that was controlling it.

Isaac stayed out until dawn, controlling the wildlife that called the park their home. By dawn, Isaac could control animals from further away, and have control of them for longer. As the sun came up, Isaac walked back to the path, and left the park. The animals that he had spent the night controlling fled at the sight of him.

Isaac got home and found Kayla sitting at the table/  
"There you are!" She yelled, "I was worried sick! What were you doing out at night? You might be the avatar but you're still mortal!"

"Didn't James tell you I was out?" he asked.

"Yes he did, but he refused to say where and why. What is with these secrets? Am I just not important enough to know why you are going out into Burning Suns territory at night?" she yelled.

"Kayla, please calm down…" started Isaac.

"I will not calm down! The reason I risked my skin to come with you was to try and be useful. I didn't know how, but I wasn't going to sit by and let you sneak in by yourself. How am I supposed to help if you won't tell me anything?!" yelled Kayla, as she stormed into her room. Deciding it would be best to leave her alone for a bit, the result of being out all night finally hit Isaac. He walked over to his bed and went to sleep.

Isaac woke up late in the afternoon and walked out of his room. He saw James near the training dummies.

"So how did you go after I left?" asked James.

"I made some progress. If my training is restricted to once a month, I won't be very powerful for a while. Speaking of which, I have some questions."

"Yes?"

"First, is there any way to bloodbend when it is not the full moon? I mean even the few days before or after, there is still a lot of moon visible." Said Isaac.

"Most people who are bloodbenders are only able to use this power on the full moon. But there have been cases, where bloodbenders have been that powerful, they didn't need the full moon. They didn't even need the moon. In broad daylight, they could make anyone their puppet. My theory is that the ability to bend in general is like a muscle. Though technique is important, practising increases the strength. The people I mentioned probably practised for years to master the technique to that degree" Explained James.

"Ok then. And what limits are there to bloodbending? Is control the most you can do?" asked Isaac.

"The possibilities are endless. Though you aren't controlling the blood, you control the water, which is just as deadly, there are many uses. All you have to do is stop blood flow to the heart or brain by freezing the water in the blood at a certain point, and the victim is helpless. Or you can freeze all the blood. When water freezes, it expands. If you freeze the water in cells, it will expand and the cells will break and die. Bloodbending is by far the most dangerous technique ever created." Said James.

"Thank you, that's all I wanted to know." Said Isaac turning around to see Kayla walking towards him.

"Can we talk privately?" she asked.

Isaac followed her into her room, earthbending the ground to make a door.

"I just wanted to apologize, for going off this morning. You wouldn't do anything like that without a legitimate reason, and I need to trust you. I'm sorry." She said

"Last night, James took me to the park so I could learn to bloodbend." Said Isaac

"What is that?" asked Kayla.

Isaac explained what it was to her what it was. She looked at him in horror.

"Please tell me you are joking. That is horrible!" said Kayla.

"James taught it to me because I may be attacking the Burning Suns head on. James didn't want to teach me this, but felt that I may need to use it. He said it could save my life. Unless I need to I don't plan on using it." said Isaac.

Though he said this, Isaac was lying to himself. As much as he thought this technique was evil, he couldn't help but want to use it on the people who ruined his life. As much as he was trying to stop the Burning Suns for the good of everyone else, revenge was his primary purpose.

Isaac told James and Kayla that he was going to the police station to talk tactics for the siege on the Burning Suns HQ. He lied. His true intentions were the only thing on his mind. Making sure he wasn't followed, Isaac made his way to the park. He picked a different spot to last night, seeing as he scared most of the animals off from where he was previously.

Isaac spent the next 3 hours attempting to feel the presence of any water. With every minute that passed, Isaac's anger grew. He hungered for the power of bloodbending, and the possibility of revenge it brought it with. Eventually the rage consumed him. Until he heard a sound.

A bird squawk and hit the ground. Dead. It took Isaac a second to realise what had happened. His anger fuelled his bending.

The Moon wasn't full, but he bloodbended.


	6. Chapter 6: Hiding in the Shadows

**Chapter 6: Hiding in the Shadows**

Weeks passed and Isaac continued to practise bloodbending in secret. Before too long though, Kayla and James became suspicious of him. The bags that appeared under his eyes didn't help, nor the fact that he seemed tired and irritable all the time. Isaac still continued to learn to bloodbend. Every night he would go to the park, and focus his desire for revenge into his bending. At first it was hard to bloodbend without the aid of the full moon, but eventually it became just as easy.

When the small animals of the park became too easy, Isaac moved onto new practise dummies, humans. After receiving more information from Chief Inspector Johnstone, Isaac found the location of more Burning Suns buildings. Hiding in the shadows, Isaac would use his newfound power to assume control over the guards out the front of the building. The first thing he would do is close their mouth, then make them walk away, like a cruel puppet master. At first he could only do this on nights close to the full moon, but as the weeks went by his strength grew, to the point where he could bloodbend a human in full daylight if he wanted to.

Every morning, Isaac would get back to James' house at 5am, before everyone was up then would go to sleep. One day he woke up to Kayla in his room.

"We need to talk Isaac." She said.

"What about?" said Isaac in an irritated tone.

"That. Is something wrong Isaac? Because you seem to be irritable a lot. That and you are sleeping in really late, and even after that, you still look like you have had no sleep. What's wrong?" she asked.

"No nothing is wrong, I am fine." He said. Technically he was telling the truth, he was better than ever.

"Don't lie to me Isaac. I have known you long enough to know when you are lying or not."

"Look Kayla, nothing is wrong, so why don't you shut up about it okay?!" Isaac said, starting to raise his voice.

Kayla looked shocked at Isaac. He had never spoken to her like this before, and was hurt by it.

"Sorry for caring." She said as she walked out, trying to hide tears. She thought that he didn't care anymore. She was right.

That night Kayla stayed awake in her room. Isaac said he had gone to sleep a few hours earlier but she didn't believe him. She wanted to know what was going on. She was going to follow him. She talked to James a few hours earlier about Isaac, and how he has changed, and to her surprise, He agreed.

"I want to keep an eye on him, in case he leaves. I want to see where he goes and what he does. But I can't leave here without a waterbender. Will you freeze the water near the entrance to this place after he leaves so that I can follow him?" she begged. Eventually he broke and reluctantly agreed.

When she heard movement from Isaac's room, she got into her bed and pretended to sleep. When she heard the door to the house close, she waited a minute then got up and woke James, who cleared the water for her. Half an hour later, she was following Isaac. He walked along the dark street, seemingly unaware of his second shadow. Suddenly he turned left into an alley. Kayla followed him, crawling against the wall and keeping her distance. When Isaac slowed down and stopped she hid behind a car. Suddenly her arms locked to her sides, as did her legs. She was then lifted off the ground, and floated out into the alley, as if an invisible hand wrapped itself around her. She could see a shadowy figure at the end of the alley, which she knew was Isaac.

"Who are you? I knew you were following me. I knew the entire time." Shouted Isaac across the alley.

"Isaac it's me, Kayla."

Suddenly she was lowered to the ground, and the force that stopped her from movie was released.

"Why did you follow me?" yelled Isaac, his rage obvious in his voice.

"I wanted to know what was up with you. You refused to tell me, so I went to find out myself…" said Kayla, when she noticed a detail that caused everything to make sense. The new moon, "How did you bloodbend without a full moon?"

Isaac remained silent.

"That's what you have been doing isn't it? Sneaking out to practise bloodbending. That's why you sleep in late, and always seem tired, your staying out all night."

"Go home Kayla, I will be back in the morning."

Kayla ran back to James' house. The entrance was still clear from when she left, so she ran in and woke James.

"Are you telling me, Isaac has been practising bloodbending every night, and can now do it without a full moon?" asked James.

"Yes." She wept.

"I am afraid the bloodbending might have changed Isaac." Said James walking over to his bed, pulling out a safe from underneath it. He unlocked it and pulled out a handgun, giving it to Kayla.

"Very few bloodbenders have remained sane with their power. It is a burden of the mind. That's why I want you to have this. I don't want to have to intervene, seeing as he is the only hope for freedom in this city, but if we have to stop him, and I can't myself, then I want you to. I am sorry to put this burden on you." Said James.

Kayla looked at the gun. It felt cold against her skin, but as if it were made for her. She knew she didn't want to, but if Isaac keeps changing at the rate he has been, she would have to do something.

She would have to kill him.


	7. Chapter 7: Inconveniences

**Chapter 7: Inconveniences**

It was a Wednesday afternoon when Isaac found himself in Chief Inspector Johnstone's office, discussing tactics for the attack.

"So the attack will be in 3 weeks, on 24th of August? On the night of the next full moon?" asked Isaac.

"Yes. The plan begins at approximately 1am. We will have roads blocked surrounding the building, stopping anyone from entering or leaving. You will be stationed on the roof of the building across the road, and a trained task force equipped for the job will be on the ground, a few blocks from the building. The task force will run in, and take down any members of the Burning Suns. They are strong enough to defend themselves, but they can't take on the Burning Suns head on. That's where you come in. You will use whatever Avatar tricks you have to get onto the roof of the next building. From there you will enter the building and make your way downstairs. According to our source on the inside, the leader's office is on the 5th floor, just above halfway up the building. While the main forces are defending against the main assault, they won't be expecting an attack from behind. You will find the leader, most likely in the office with the best firebenders they have defending him. You take them out while the task force holds off the general thugs, then you go downstairs and attack the flank." Explained Johnstone. Isaac nodded.

"Also," began the Chief Inspector, "We finally caught your father."

"What?!" said Isaac.

"We made a deal with him, he joins the task force, and helps us with the assault, and he gets his freedom."

"Really?" asked Isaac.

"Yes. Quite frankly, we need all the benders we can get. Bullets aren't enough to stop these people, and judging by the state of the police car, your father is quite the firebender."

Johnstone grabbed his phone and called his assistant.

"Yes? Could you please send Samuel Reed in to see me?"

Isaac waited a few minutes until he heard footsteps. Eventually the door opened, and Samuel walked in.

"Isaac?"

"Hey dad." Said Isaac showing little emotion. Very few things pleased him these days, only the thought of revenge.

"Did my list help you?" asked Samuel.

"Yes, I found some people and learnt to Earthbend and Airbend." Said Isaac.

Samuel noticed something different about his son. He knew he had changed, but was confused as to why. The three talked for the next few hours, and eventually went home. The police were offering accommodation for Samuel, so Isaac went home alone.

Isaac made his way down to the sewers, when he realised something was wrong. The water that was waterbended and frozen to be out of the way of the door wasn't back to normal. James was very strict on covering steps, so this was unlike him. Isaac walked in, shocked at what he saw. James sitting in the corner with a shocked look on his face, a bloody corpse on the floor of a Burning Suns thug, and a gun a few metres away from it.

"What the hell happened?" asked Isaac.

"They followed me. I didn't notice them, and then as I walked in, they knocked me over the head and knocked me out. I came to and woke up to this, and a note." Said James handing him the note.

"_Think of the girl as insurance. No funny business and she comes out unharmed. Anything else, then you will have a funeral on your hands."_

Isaac ran back out the door, and to the police station.

"Isaac what are you doing back here?" Asked Johnstone.

"There has been interference to our plans." Said Isaac.

He explained what happened and Johnstone was shocked.

"Well what do we do? If we go with our plan, Kayla will be killed. The media will be swarming with news of a hostage's death."

"Only 1 thing changes. I go in first. I take out the leader, without tipping anyone off, and I send a signal to your task force to start the assault." Said Isaac.

"And what if it fails? What if they guess what's happening and kill Kayla?"

"It's war, people die," said Isaac in a bitter tone. This surprised the Chief Inspector, as he usually wasn't like this. "If she dies, it will be an inconvenience to us, but if all goes to plan, she won't."

3 weeks later, Isaac was standing on the roof of the building opposite the Burning Suns counterpart. He knew Kayla was in there somewhere, and so was the man who destroyed his life.

He would soon have his revenge. Isaac was ready.


	8. Chapter 8: The Game Changer

**Chapter 8: The Game Changer**

Running towards the edge, Isaac sprinted along the concrete roof of the building. When he neared the edge, he earthbended the section beneath his feet into the air, propelling him up. When he was in mid-air, and felt like he was starting to fall, he kicked his feet, creating flames, and propelled himself until he was above the Burning Suns HQ. He landed on the hard ground, softening the landing with a cushion of air. Isaac stepped towards the door leading to the building's interior, and created a gust of wind to blow the door open.

"Hey you're not supposed to be in here!" yelled a man on the other side of the door. Isaac quickly silenced him before he was heard. He took control of the man, and threw him out the door behind him, off the edge of the building. Further down the corridor, Isaac saw 2 men walk out. The last thing they remembered before falling unconscious was an invisible hand grabbing them, and slamming them against the wall, knocking them out.

A group of 4 men walked out of the room behind Isaac after hearing the noises. They thought Isaac didn't know they were there. They were wrong; he felt the water in their bodies long before they saw him. Since his mission was primarily a stealth mission, he tried to avoid being noticed by them, but knew that the time for stealth was over. Quickly turned around, Isaac created a barrage of flame, which knocked one of the men off their feet. The rest firebended the flames out of the way, and began to attack. Isaac tried to fight them, but they kept extinguishing his flames. There was no earth nearby, and air was mostly used as a defensive element. All Isaac needed was access to some water, but there was none around. None that he could see. Then he realised he was surrounded by 4 bags of water. Created a gust of wind, Isaac knocked the four men to the ground. Reaching out his hand, he lifted the biggest man off the ground. The biggest source of water. Isaac pulled towards him, ripping the water from the man's body as he screamed. The other 3 men looked at Isaac in shock at what he had just done. They turned and ran, but weren't fast enough. They barely made it to the door before they each had blood red spears sticking out of their backs.

Isaac made his way through the next few floors, disposing of anyone who stood in his way. He then looked at his watch. He remembered Johnstone giving it to him. He was supposed to press in the button on it when he had rescued Kayla and wanted them to begin their assault, or if his cover had been blown. Isaac pressed the button, and continued. After a few minutes Isaac heard a crash a few floors beneath him, and gunshots.

As Isaac was walking through the corridor of a lower floor, he felt something strange. The presence of water in people. But unlike the rest of the people who were downstairs fighting, one of them seemed familiar. Then he remembered where he had felt that water before. Kayla, when she followed him. They didn't know he was out there, and he was going to take advantage of that. Judging by the position of the water, Isaac came to the conclusion that there were 5 men in there with Kayla. One of them had an arm around her neck, and his hand near her head. Possible holding a gun to it. With his left hand Isaac assumed control of the hand with the gun, and moved it away from Kayla. With his right he took control of the heads of the other 4, and twisted them breaking the men's necks.

Isaac heard Kayla scream as the four men hit the ground dead, and airbended the door open. The man's arm was still in the air, holding the gun away from Kayla. Isaac flicked his wrist, and the man tossed the gun aside against his will, then released Kayla. Isaac was in control.

"Judging by your fancy uniform and you have a relatively nice office, I will say you are in charge of the Burning Suns?" asked Isaac.

The man nodded then spat in Isaac's direction, arms still locked in the air. Isaac stopped the spit in mid-air, and froze it, pushing it into the man's stomach.

"So I have you to thank for ruining my life." Said Isaac walking closer to the man.

"Isaac, don't do this." Said Kayla

Ignoring her, Isaac walked over to the man.

"You are the reason why my father abandoned me, my mother is dead and my best friend is crippled." Said Isaac.

The man remained silent.

"I wonder what it is like to have every organ in your body slowly crushed. One by one." Said Isaac with a grin on his face.

"Isaac, please stop." Begged Kayla. Isaac ignored her. Isaac slowly closed his fist, and the man began to scream. He violently vomited as his stomach crushed. After a minute of excruciating pain, the man was silent, and still.

"Finally." Said Isaac turning around. He never thought he would see what he did. Kayla had picked up the gun, and had it aimed at Isaac, tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Isaac." She wept.

Suddenly an unknown force took over her arm, lifted it and turned it, the gun forced against her head.

"Isaac, please, don't do this" she cried. As fast as the feeling came, it was gone.

"Leave Kayla. Go." He said. Isaac created an explosion of flames, knocking out one of the walls. He turned and ran out the whole he just created. As he jumped, he propelled himself with flames from his feet, and then created an air cushion on the ground. When he landed, he ran, away from what he had become.


	9. Chapter 9: Aftermath

**Chapter 9: Aftermath**

"Why did you do it Isaac?" asked Asher.

It had been 3 weeks since the assault on the Burning Suns HQ. The police managed to overpower the men in the building. The whole attack was kept on the down-low, and the members at the rest of the Burning Suns buildings had no clue what was going on. The police spent the next few weeks arresting everyone in those buildings. The Burning Suns were finished.

"I guess that I was angry," said Isaac. "Angry that my father left me, angry that they killed my mother, angry that I was forced to run away and angry about what they did to you. I let that drive me to bloodbend, and lost control of myself."

"Have you apologized to Kayla?" Asher asked.

"No, she moved in with a friend, and is screening my calls. I haven't been able to find her." Said Isaac.

Asher was silent, until he pulled out a piece of paper, and wrote something down.

"This is the number of her friend's house. Call and say that you are me. That should give you enough time to talk to her and apologize." Said Asher.

"Thank you. For everything." Said Isaac.

Isaac left the rehabilitation centre, and made his way to a payphone. The police found out what he did, to the men. Though they were criminals, Isaac went too far, and wanted to talk to him about it. By talk, they meant arrest him. His mobile was probably being traced.

Isaac finally found a payphone. He dialled the number and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello, Isabelle speaking." Said an unfamiliar voice.

"Hello, this is Asher, could I please speak to Kayla?" said Isaac, attempting to copy Asher's voice. Isabelle must have believed him, because Kayla soon appeared on the other end of the line.

"Hey Asher." Said Kayla.

"Kayla, its Isaac."

"I am going to have a talk to Asher. Look Isaac, you aren't the sweet guy from high school any more. You are different. You are a psychopath. I am sorry, but the Isaac I loved is gone. I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore." She said.

"I understand. I won't call again. I just wanted to apologize. For everything. I was that driven by revenge that I changed. I should never have done what I did to those men, criminals or not. I became a monster. If you don't want me in your life any more, I will leave. I just hope that one day you can forgive me." Isaac said.

"I have to go." Wept Kayla as she hung up.

Isaac slammed the phone onto its cradle then kicked the ground. The pavement beneath it flicked up into the air, causing the phone booth to fly into the air, and land on the pavement further down the street. Isaac turned, and saw a bunch of teenagers looking at him.

"What are you looking at?!" he yelled, throwing flames into the air in front of them. The flames didn't hit, just like Isaac intended, but scared them, causing them to run. When the sounds of sirens were heard in the distance, Isaac began to run.

Later that night Isaac was sitting against an alley wall. He couldn't sleep. He had too much on his mind.

"Isaac?" said a voice from Isaac's left.

Isaac looked and saw Samuel.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Isaac, come with me, the police want to help you."

"You actually believe that?" yelled Isaac, "They probably consider me to be the world's worst criminal. They know that prisons won't hold me. They will have me killed."

"They won't, trust me." Said his father holding out a hand to help Isaac up. Isaac would have taken in, until he felt the presence of people surrounding the alley. It had to be the police. There would never be that many people around at this time of night.

"I was coming with you whether I liked it or not wasn't I. Don't lie, I know the police are surrounding me." Said Isaac getting up.

"I didn't want to have to force you to come, but you give me no choice." Said Samuel, getting into a fighting stance.

Isaac punched the ground. The ground around him turned to dust, creating a screen of cover. When the dust cleared, Samuel looked at where his son was standing. He was gone.


	10. Chapter 10: The True Loss

**Chapter 10: The True Loss**

It was a cold night when Isaac found himself sitting in his car. He left the city, and found the tree it was hidden by. After uncovering it, he sat there, drinking the whiskey that he stole, using the car's heater to keep warm. Half the bottle was gone, and Isaac was feeling drowsy. But he couldn't sleep. He was scared at what his nightmares would be. His nightmares were of him. Two sides of him. The person he has become, the bloodbending psychopath, torturing his old self. They were the worst he had ever had, and though they were just dreams, he was too scared to sleep. All he felt was pain and guilt. He was a failure.

Eventually only a quarter of the bottle was left, and Isaac was at his drunkest, he heard movement outside the car. Opening the door and falling out, Isaac levitated small spheres of earth, ready to send them through whoever was there.

"That would be no use." Said a kind-sounding voice.

"Who are you?" asked Isaac, voice slurred. A tall man stepped out of the shadows. He was bald, with arrow tattoo's running down his arms and over his head. He wore yellow and orange robes, and Isaac had the feeling he was a monk

"Isaac, I am avatar Aang." Said the monk.

"How am I talking to you? Last time I spoke with an Avatar, I was unconscious and concussed." Said Isaac.

"The Avatar is the link to the spiritual world. Untrained Avatars tend to accidentally find their spiritual side during times of emotional distress."

"Why are you here?" asked Isaac.

"I am here to help you."

Isaac listened inquisitively, but still drunk from the whiskey.

"I know how you feel. Guilty. I have been through the same experience. I had gone into the Avatar state, and hurt people, including the person I loved more than anything. This guilt caused me to swear off firebending, and kept me from being what an Avatar is meant to be." Said Aang.

"The difference between you and me is that you deserve to be the Avatar," said Isaac, "I don't. The power of the Avatar made me a monster. I tortured and killed people. I killed them in the most excruciating ways that make me sick to even think about now."

"As much as you don't want it to be true, the world needs you. But the world is worse off with you now than without an Avatar," explained Aang, "You must forgive yourself, and control your anger and desire for revenge. But while you have the power of the Avatar, this will never happen. You will try to become what you are supposed to, but will succumb to the temptation of using your power for the wrong reason. That is why I have come."

"What are you getting at?" asked Isaac.

Aang lifted his hand and placed it on Isaac's forehead. Suddenly his eyes and tattoo's began to glow. Isaac felt a surge of energy leave him, and he collapsed to the ground.

"What did you do?" asked Isaac.

"I took away your bending. I am your past life, I see the depths of your heart, and I know that as long as you can bend the elements, you will spiral further and further into the life you are trying to leave." Said Aang.

"What? How am I supposed to be the Avatar with no bending?!" yelled Isaac.

"Once I see you fit to be the Avatar, I will return your bending. But until then, you must return to the right path. The path of good." Explained Aang as he started to disappear.

Angry at Aang, and hoping it was all a hallucination, Isaac attempted to ignite the grass around Aang. But nothing happened, and Aang disappeared.

Suddenly a wave of drowsiness hit Isaac, and he collapsed to the ground passing out.

Isaac woke in a strange room. He looked in the corner. And saw Kayla sitting in a corner.

"The owner of the paddock you were parked on heard some weird noises. He came out to investigate and found you passed out by the car. The only thing in the wallet was your fake ID and Isabelle's number. He called me, and I picked you up." Explained Kayla.

"Thank you. I would have died out there." Said Isaac.

"Don't think this changes anything." She said, "I felt sorry for you. That's it."

"I know."

"So what happened? Why were you passed out with a bottle of whiskey next to you?" she asked.

"I hit a low, and felt like a drink. I took it too far." He explained, trying to resist the urge to vomit, "Then a previous Avatar came. One of my past lives. He said I stumbled into my spiritual side. He told me that I was meant to be more, but as long as I have my bending I won't change. Then he took my bending away. It's all gone."

"He was right." Kayla said.

"About what?"

"You are meant to be more. So much more. But you let revenge get to your head, and became a monster."

"I know that. I want to change. And not just to get my bending back. I can't live with the guilt of what I have done. It is eating me alive" sobbed Isaac.

"Maybe this is what you need to change. It was the power and the need for revenge that changed you. Maybe without them, you will change again. For the better." said Kayla as she sat down next to him.

"I'm so sorry. For everything I did." Said Isaac.

"I know you are, but I am not ready to forgive you." Said Kayla, "You tortured those men, and killed them brutally. Then you almost had me shoot myself. I am sorry but I can't, not yet."

"I will change. I promise you that."

Kayla smiled, for the first time since the assault on the Burning Suns HQ.

"Trust me Isaac, I would want nothing more."


End file.
